


simply a child

by Angel_Demon_Princess



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Gen, Good Slytherins, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, My First Work in This Fandom, btw there's not really a specific main character... just a slytherin, it's poetry??? I hope you like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 09:39:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12679248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Demon_Princess/pseuds/Angel_Demon_Princess
Summary: Slytherin is sometimes not so great, especially for those innocent children living in their parents' shadows.-This story explores a possible look into Slytherin House, and to how the students are treated because of it. It deals with prejudice, implied child abuse, and dark themes. A character introspection, it is not written in the POV of a specific character, but rather a nameless face among the Slytherins.Please enjoy!





	simply a child

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this story explores a possible look into Slytherin House, and to how the students are treated because of it. It deals with prejudice, implied child abuse, and dark themes. As a character introspection, it is not written in the POV of a specific character, but rather a nameless face among the Slytherins.
> 
> Please enjoy!

I was simply a child,

Not yet fully grown,

But somewhere along the way, the past blurred with the present,

Your sins became mine and your past was my own.

 

~

 

They tell me I will be a Slytherin,

And remind me of my name.

My whole family was full of Snakes,

And I will be no different, my parents firmly claim.

 

There’s no warmth in my mother’s hug,

And my father’s goodbyes are spoken with an underlying threat,

Because I know that if I am not who I’m meant to be,

I will suffer a punishment far worse than death.

 

The journey is long and silent,

And thoughts and worries slip and slide through my mind.

I hope to fulfill my parent’s expectations,

Even if I must walk the lonely path my name held me bind.

 

There are no cheers for me as my name is called,

Only whispers and snickers hidden beneath a fake smile.

My head spins with the memory of my parent’s words,

And I walk shivering in fear up the aisle.

 

I sit on a stool gripping the edges tightly,

With the Sorting Hat on my head,

And as it decides my fate,

I feel in my stomach sickening dread.

 

After an agonizingly long wait,

It shouts its decision for the world to hear,

The place that once seemed like home was no more,

And down my cheek traces its way a single tear.

 

Ravenclaw, so wise, I did not belong in,

Kind Hufflepuff did not accept me,

Gryffindor the brave was not for the cowardly,

And so Slytherin who was called evil was where I shall be.

 

The smiling faces turned cold and wary,

Once so welcoming to a young student,

Now only seeing my parents’ faces in place of innocence.

And so I hurry to my House, thinking haste would be prudent.

 

Though home to so many she was,

Hogwarts protector of all,

Giving shelter and solace many a cold night,

I and mine saw only malice in her walls.

 

The day after an insomniac night,

I see the familiar shape of an owl through the air,

And cold talons bite into tender flesh,

Bringing a letter to my parent’s only heir.

 

With shaking hands I open the parcel,

But I worry for naught because I am where I should be,

In the House called evil and hated by all,

And they say with glee that I am who I was meant to be.

 

I feel a pain in my heart,

As glares pierce my back,

Those who once seemed friendly and welcoming now angry and closed off,

And in my dreams, I wish for a home but even that shatters and cracks.

 

The green and silver tie chokes me as I tie it,

The house crest burning my skin,

And underneath the lake in a cold dungeon,

I look around and see my crestfallen kin.

 

I see a sad girl whose friend for many years,

Now Sorted a Gryffindor,

Forgot all those memories in one night in favor of stereotypes,

And heeded the lions’ roaring for war.

 

I notice an older boy hidden in the corner,

Writing on parchment with a quill.

His face is pale and his eyes are scared,

And his body is shaking with a horrible chill.

Another boy sat by the fireplace,

Looking at home and pure Slytherin and noble,

But with red-rimmed eyes and a broken stare,

Sat silent and immobile.

 

We forced smiles and lied through pretty words,

We pretended and became something we were not,

In this war against the other Houses, we survived without living,

But we were Slytherins, so in a lie we wouldn't get caught.

 

I don’t know how I knew but I simply did,

That everyone here hated their parents’ dreams and wishes.

We all had no hope of fighting against them and winning,

Because they were the predator sharks and we were prey—little fishes.

 

Tears were hidden in my pillow,

And the only witness was the pale moon in the sky,

As my fears finally came to light in the dark,

But not once did I let out a single cry.

 

Years passed, and nothing changed,

But our masks became paper thin,

And glued to our faces were fake smiles,

Only a faint memory of what they have and could have been.

Once upon a time,

In a castle loved by many, there lived a certain few,

Hated by all,

And they didn’t know what to do.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this, and I would very much appreciate it if you would tell me what you thought!   
> Thank you!


End file.
